St John Antigua Cruise Port is on the north-western coast of the island of Antigua. At only 14 miles across and 11 miles long, you can get to anywhere on Antigua within 45 minutes. Known as the “Land of 365 beaches“, Antigua boasts a shoreline of pristine white sand and crystal-clear turquoise waters, offering a paradise for beach lovers and water enthusiasts alike.
So in this guide, I’ll share with you the best beaches nearby St John Antigua Cruise Port and what there is to see & do beyond being a beach bum for the day. The Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, in the English Harbour on the south-eastern end of Antigua island is a UNESCO Heritage listed site, so you can have a bit of history as well as beach & snorkelling too!
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Note: To distinguish between Antigua and Barbuda, the island in the Caribbean and Antigua in Guatemala, I’m using St John Antigua Cruise Port throughout this guide!
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St John Antigua Cruise Port: Is a DIY Excursion Easy? 😎😎😎 Needs Hustle
My DIY excursion rating for St John Antigua Cruise Port is 😎😎😎 Needs Hustle and this may surprise you. After all, the ship👇 docks right into the heart of St John Antigua! So here’s why I’m a bit apprehensive:
- Limited Attractions Nearby: While the two cruise terminals (Heritage Quay and Redcliffe Quay, they’re next to each other) are certainly not short of shops for you to browse through, there’s only two notable attractions within walking distance of St John Antigua Cruise Port to see. (As one is a museum and the other a church, I know that many cruisers would prefer to head straight to the beach!)
- Taxis to Beaches: Unless you’d like to rent a car for the day, taxis are your best bet. There are bus routes on the island but it’s the same as with many Caribbean ports. “Buses” are privately owned mini-vans and don’t run to a schedule.
- Note: Some cruisers have been driven to a different destination as drivers want them to patronise a “preferred” bar or restaurant instead. I’m sure that this isn’t the only port in the Caribbean where these incidents happen but it happens often enough to make me weary in St John Antigua.
- Nelson’s Dockyard DIY trip needs hustle too: If you’d like to see the UNESCO heritage listed Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, a DIY trip on the local bus is possible but it’s about a 45-minute to an hour’s bus ride on a local minivan. So I know this will be too much for many cruisers.
But there are a lot of wonderful things to do around Antigua island, though you’ll need to join a tour or rent a car.
St John Antigua Cruise Port Essentials: All You Need to Know
- Currency: East Caribbean Dollar (EC$), fixed at US$1 = EC$2.7 since 1976
- EC$ is official currency to six other countries besides Antigua and Barbuda: Saint Lucia, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Anguilla and Montserrat. Bear this in mind if you’re going to take any EC$ out of ATMs.
- Language: English
- Official Tourism Website is Visit Antigua Barbuda
- Local Bus Routes: #17 bus to English Harbour is the most popular bus route for cruisers arriving at St John
- Official Taxi Rates: Rates are approved by the Government of Antigua & Barbuda and are based on point-to-point destinations. There are no meters in the taxis, so agree the price with the driver first.
- eSim for roaming in Antigua and Barbuda: For a great data connection without the huge roaming fees, use an eSim data pack from Airalo. I always recommend having a smartphone with a valid plan when you’re at port touring independently. Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo when you use ROXANN1666 when you sign up or apply it at checkout – if you’re on a Caribbean cruise, then buy the Island Hopper, valid in 27 Caribbean Islands!
St John Antigua Cruise Port Map
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St John Antigua Cruise Port: Top Beaches Nearby
The three closest beaches to St John Antigua Cruise Port are Fort James Beach, Runaway Beach and Dickenson Bay Beach, all within 10-20 minutes taxi ride away. Unless you decide to rent a car for the day, local taxis are your best option.
1. Fort James Beach
Fort James Beach is the closest beach to St John Antigua Cruise Port. One-way taxi fares are around US$15. Fort James Beach is about a 1km long (~0.6 miles) and there’s a few bars and restaurants around. On the southern end of the beach is Fort James. The fort is partially ruins but you can still see stone walls and cannons, as well as panoramic views of the coastline and St John’s harbour.
2. Runaway Beach
Runaway Beach is the “next beach up” on the south-east coast of Antigua island. It’s slightly smaller but the water is just as clear! So it’s a great spot if you’d like to do your own snorkelling here.
3. Dickinson Bay Beach
Out of the three beaches I mention here, Dickinson Bay Beach is the most lively and most developed in terms of facilities available, thanks to a few 5-star resorts along the Bay, including a Sandals resort. The beach itself runs for about 1 mile. Besides a vibrant atmosphere, there’s lots of water spots available. You’ll find rental spots for kayaks, paddle boards, even Hobie Cats for sailing around the bay. More adventurous cruisers can rent jet skis here and parasailing is available.
There’s lots of resort guests around Dickinson Bay, so if you’d like guaranteed loungers and beach umbrellas, then pre-book facilities at a beach bar.
St John Antigua Cruise Port: Top Things to Do
1. Explore St John Antigua’s Cultural Gems
There’s two interesting attractions within walking distance of St John Antigua Cruise Port. Most cruisers would be interested to head straight to the beach but if you’ve got an hour to spare on your way back, here’s the two things to see in St John Antigua:
- Museum of Antigua and Barbuda: Small museum with artefacts of the Amerindians (indigenous people who first lived in Antigua), as well as stories from the Colonia Era. Closed weekends. Open Monday to Friday 9am to 4:30pm. Tickets are US$3.
- St John’s Cathedral: This Anglican cathedral’s twin white towers dominate the St John skyline. At the south entrance, you’ll find iron gates flanked by pillars topped with statues of St John the Divine (aka St John the Evangelist) and St John the Baptist.
2. Wonder Around Nelson’s Dockyard National Park
On the south-east corner of Antigua island is the English Harbour, so named because that’s why the English stayed after colonising Antigua in 1632. The deep, protected waters and narrow entrance make it an ideal shelter for ships, especially during hurricane season.
The Royal Navy established a dockyard in the English harbour to repair, maintain and supply their warships. Then Admiral Horatio Nelson was stationed in Antigua for 3 years, and that’s why it’s known as “Nelson’s Dockyard” today. The Nelson’s Dockyard National Park is a UNESCO Heritage listed site and there’s a few sites within the National Park to see:
- Dockyard Museum: Located in the former Admiral’s House, the museum focuses on the history of the dockyard and naval life in the 18th century
- Fort Berkeley: Situation on a rocky promontory at the entrance of English Harbour, Fort Berkeley was built to control access to the inner harbour and Nelson’s Dockyard. It’s a short walk from the Dockyard Museum. There’s great views directly out to the Caribbean Sea.
- Dow’s Hill Interpretation Centre: Located on a hill across the harbour overlooking the dockyard, the centre tells the history of the area
- Shirley Heights Lookout: Perched high on a hill overlooking English Harbour and Falmouth Harbour, the Shirley Heights Lookout is where the most iconic photos of Antigua are taken 👆
- The Blockhouse: Built on a hilltop to define the dockyard. There’s great views but you’ll need to hike up!
Entrance fee to the National Park is US$15 per person. If you’re joining a tour, be sure to check whether the fee is included.
How to Get To Nelson’s Dockyard & English Harbour
If you’d like to see all the sites above, you’ll need to rent a car for your port day or join a tour with a third party local operator or your cruise line.
If you’d like to walk around Nelson’s Dockyard, see the Dockyard Museum and walk out to Fort Berkeley, then you can catch the #17 bus to English Harbour from West Bus Station Terminal, a short walk from St John Antigua Cruise Port. Get off at the last stop and the Dockyard is just a few minutes’ walk away. From there, it’s a hike to get to Shirley Heights though. Alternatively, a taxi from St John Antigua Cruise Port to English Harbour is US$24 one-way (or EC$64).
3. Swim with Stingrays
Stingray City in Antigua is a shallow sandbar located in a sheltered bay, on the eastern part of Antigua island. It’s a natural gathering spot for local stingrays, as they prefer sheltered areas with sandy bottoms where they can easily forage for food. The area is rich in crustaceans, mollusks and other small marine life that stingrays love to eat.
Numbers do fluctuate throughout the seasons but you’ll definitely see them. The water is very shallow so you don’t need to know how to swim to see them. If you’re patient and stand in the one spot, they will swim right up to you. The stingrays are quite used to swimming around humans. So long as you don’t do anything to threaten them, it’s safe.
I would say that the most exciting thing about swimming with stingrays is that you notice their eyes and see that they’re checking you out! Tours leave from outside the cruise terminal. Stingray City is actually off the island’s coast, so it’s either joining a tour or chartering a boat to get yourselves there. (You can see it marked on my St John Antigua Cruise Port map above.)
Note: The more famous Stingray City in the Caribbean is actually in the Grand Caymans. If you’re going there as part of your cruise, you may want to “save” the stingrays excursion till then!
4. Snorkel in Diverse Coral Reefs
Antigua’s beaches may be the island’s prime drawcard but it’s also a great place to snorkel, especially if you’re not a confident swimmer. That’s because the nearshore shallow reefs allow you to float (with a life vest if you need one) on calm waters and just enjoy the underwater show. A sea-scooter snorkelling tour makes a snorkelling adventure especially easy.
Antigua’s reefs is a combination of hard corals (like brain coral and elk horn coral) as well as soft corals such as sea fans and sea whips. So expect to see a kaleidoscope of tropical fish, from parrotfish, angelfish, butterflyfish to surgeonfish, alongside sea turtles gracefully gliding past you.
The most popular snorkelling spots on Antigua island are Cades Reef, near Runaway Bay, Galleon Beach near English Harbour and of course Stingray City.
